Are you a technology lover who needs a way in which to organize all your instructional ideas and tools?

If so, you need to check out LiveBinders (Link: http://www.livebinders.com/)!

With all the resources I collect while publishing this blog, in doing research for my doctoral program, and just the day-to-day resources I collect for instructional and professional development purposes, this is an awesome way in which to collect, organize, and share them with colleagues or students.

Creative ways in which to use LiveBinders for personal finance or social media in the classroom:

1. Create a LiveBinder for your students that contains all the resources, lesson materials, and assignment details for your personal finance class
2. Have students gather financial literacy resources and create a class LiveBinder that can be shared with all students and stored for sharing with future students
3. Use LiveBinders to pool social media activities and lessons as a way to develop a social media learning resource for students

As you can see, the possibilities are endless with LiveBinders! Do you have a unique way in which you have used LiveBinders in your classroom? Share them via a comment to this post or tweet your comments to @MCWhiteOH today. I look forward to hearing what you have to say regarding this unique Web 2.0 resource!

Create a lesson on saving while in college - a must as young people head off to college this fall!

Are your high school students financially ready to head off to college? Do they possess the knowledge and skills to save money that will help them through the next few years? Do they know the tricks needed to keep from going broke before they graduate? You can equip your students with a great deal of information that can benefit them for years to come, putting financial literacy first!

I was inspired to write today's post by an article on AOL Daily Finance entitled "Help Your Kids Save While They're Still in School" (Link: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/11/02/help-your-kids-save-while-theyre-still-in-school/). In this article, the author gives several helpful hints on how a college student can save incrementally and overcome several financial woes that can be thrown at him or her. I have put a few of these helpful hints together here to help spark some teaching ideas for personal finance educators:

• Students need to open a savings account early and regular make contributions, even if only a few dollars
• Set short-term savings goals (i.e., How much would you like to have saved in six months? In one year?)
• While studying is important, students should take a part-time job where possible to help supplement their income and also allow them to regularly contribute to their savings
• Find other ways to earn a little extra money, like tutoring other students, giving lessons, or even selling all those unneeded items randomly collected on eBay
• Find ways to avoid the common money pitfalls. For example, instead of buying Starbucks every morning before class, buy an inexpensive coffee pot and make coffee in the dorm every morning - a student can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars a year just from this one tip!
• Set limits on spending. For examples, avoid overspending on clothes, shoes, or other such items - although it may feel like it, a young person does not need every dress, pair of shoes, sunglasses, or outfit that he or she just "absolutely loves" - impulse buying can drain one's savings very quickly

These are just a few of things college students can do to navigate their college years and come out financially sound. Be sure you are equipping your personal finance students with these necessary tips--although they may not fully understand them now, they will thank you later for helping them become financially savvy!

Do you have additional college savings tips you share with your students? If so, share them here today so everyone can gain new ideas!

Financial literacy and politics - making a meaningful marriage!

Financial literacy education and politics have not always made a productive marriage. Educators and politicians often have differing views of what is and isn't important to our nation's children, especially in areas outside the common core of English language arts (reading and writing), mathematics, social studies, and science. Teachers of elective subjects, including personal finance, have been fighting this battle for several years now as they lobby for their state and for the federal government to recognize personal finance education as a required core learning component.

On Tuesday, September 4, 2012, in conjunction with the Council on Economic Education, politicians, educators, business professionals, and members of the larger community will come together in Charlotte, NC at the Democratic National Convention at a Financial Literacy Policy Luncheon to discuss which states are closing the gap in financial literacy and which states yet have a ways to go (Link: http://www.councilforeconed.org/events/financial-literacy-policy-luncheons/). A similar program took place at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL on Monday, August 27, 2012 as well.

Events such as this are critical to the success and future growth of financial literacy initiatives. All educators must lobby their state and U.S. representatives and senators to ensure the voice of financial literacy and personal finance education is heard loud and clear. Organizations such as the Council for Economic Education (http://www.councilforeconed.org/) and the National Business Education Association (http://www.nbea.org/), plus numerous other content area teaching professional organizations are investing tirelessly in ensuring that personal finance education becomes a required educational component for all American children.

I encourage each and every one of you to contact your representatives and urge their support on this national issue. Plus, if you happen to be in the Charlotte area on Tuesday, September 4th, register to attend the Financial Literacy Policy Luncheon. The more of us that push for political support of financial literacy and personal finance education, the greater chance we have to positively affect the lives of children for generations to come!

Ready for a new school year? Get your social media on, because it is a key to future student success!

I hope everyone is ready for a new school year! Summer vacation is over and this weekend marks the official end of summer, even though by the calendar we still have about three more weeks. That bring me to the subject of social media use in the classroom. We've talked about social media in education extensively, yet I still wonder if teachers have truly embraced this advance in technology.

An article by NBC News' Education Nation entitled "Social Media Belongs in the Classroom" (Link: http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=5DE1F0EE-21AE-11E1-A9BF000C296BA163) discusses the ongoing debate about whether social media truly has a place in classroom instruction. As the article discusses, in a time when social media continues to advance its reach and scope across the business world, there are still teachers, schools, and even districts that ban its use in the classroom believing there is too high a risk in allowing it as an instructional tool. However, one important point that educational writers and bloggers alike continue to address is that not allowing its use in the classroom has the potential of discounting a student's education by not preparing them for the real world in the career(s) he or she will choose later in life. Whether we as teachers like it or not, social media is here to stay and we have a responsibility to engage students in a meaningful way through its use.

Common arguments against its use include:

1. Classroom discussion strengthens students' ability to communicate with one another and prepares them for workplace interaction
2. Students still need to be able to handle written communications properly
3. The use of social media can create classroom risks, such as cheating, bullying of other students, or other inappropriate communications

In fact, it is still fairly commonplace for many schools to block access on the Internet to pages such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. In addition, due to acceptable use policies within schools or districts, teachers have a difficult time developing appropriate lesson materials to include social media use because creating a way in which he or she can communicate with students can be difficult as well.

So, my challenge for today's post is to look for ways in which to develop classroom lessons that include social media activities and encourage students to use social media in other ways than just communicating with friends and family. Throughout this school, you will be provided with a multitude of new teaching ideas and tips on social media in the classroom and I want to hear all of your best tips as well. Together, we can help our students reach new heights in learning while also preparing them responsibly for the technology advances they will continue to be bombarded with throughout their lives.

Happy teaching and welcome back to school!

A conversation with teachers on personal finance education and the economy...

Recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke conducted a Teacher Town Hall meeting where he met with approximately 60 teachers from around the nation who teach economics or personal finance. Here is a video recap of the town hall meeting:

As an educator, I believe such interactions with key political and government officials are of utmost importance if we are to ensure key educational programs receive the proper support and funding and lead to better educational outcomes for all Americans.

A special congratulations to Brian Page (@FinEdChat), a fellow blogger and financial literacy educator, who had the distinct honor of attending this town hall meeting and sitting just three seats from Chairman Bernanke to his left! Thank you, Brian, for representing Ohio and all financial literacy educators at this important event.

Stay tuned to Personal Finance and Social Media in Education as we embark on a new school year! I am committed to bringing my followers another year of news, tips, ideas, and professional development opportunities.

Here we go...preparing a presentation on bringing social media into the business classroom!

Well, followers...among all my other activities coming up this fall, I've agreed to present at the 85th Annual Professional Development Conference of OBTA--An Association for Business Technology Educators (http://www.obta-ohio.org). I'll be presenting on ways to bring social media into the business classroom. This presentation will provide information gathered from a recent social media in the classroom study as well as ideas for using social media platforms with students to expand their awareness of social beyond just friends and socialization.

Continuing my summer of professional development, stay tuned to the OBTA Website for more details about "Flying to New Heights with Business Technology Education!" Conference registration is open to all OBTA members and registration information will be available on the website around August 15th.

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I'm looking forward to a new and exciting school year and to sharing many, many more tips and ideas on personal finance education and social media in the classroom!

International Society for Technology in Education - a great professional development opportunity!

Summer is always the time to review your professional development options and to determine your plan for professional development for the upcoming school year. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share more about ISTE, yet another professional organization for technology-minded educators!

If you're not familiar with ISTE, take a few moments to browse their website at http://www.iste.org/. You'll find yourself immersed in the variety of information available to ISTE members. You might even take the leap and join! Membership is comparable in cost to other professional organizations for teachers.

My motto regarding professional development is that the benefits one reaps from membership in any professional organization far outweigh the cost. I frequently find myself in conversation with colleagues who have made the decision not to join or renew their membership in an organization because of the cost involved. As a result, I am often defending my decision to join or renew my membership because of the benefits, real and perceived, that I receive each and every year. Not only do I receive the publications and have the opportunity to attend awesome conferences and events, but I also find the networking and connections to like-minded educators to be exceptional and well worth my small membership dues investment. I look at professional organizations just like I look at technology and its application in the classroom--we must be equally, if not more, prepared than our students and organizations like ISTE help us to be the best we can possibly be.

Professional growth is priceless and staying in tune with technology and its application to education is invaluable. Those teachers who take that extra step to involve themselves in professional development in organizations like ISTE become innovators and leaders in our profession. Be a leader in your classroom and make a pact today to develop your professional development portfolio for the upcoming year!